Anticipation in Prayer

Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my groaning.  Heed the sound of my cry for help,  my King and my God,  For to you I pray.  In the morning, O Lord, you will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to you and eagerly watch. 

            Psalm 5.1-3 (NASB)

One of the primary needs of the Christ follower is to pray.  We need to pray in the good times and in the difficult.  Notice the psalmist says hear my groaning.  He has an assurance that God will hear his prayer.  

Do we have that assurance?  But even more do we anticipate that He will answer?  Note the psalmist exclaims I will pray to you and then he does what?  He eagerly watches!  He is waiting to see how God will answer.  He is not concerned with "if" He will answer but how he will answer.

The challenge for us as followers is to anticipate that God will answer our prayers.  It really is a matter of when.

Why Pain and Suffering?

 It is good for me that I was afflicted,

That I may learn Your statutes.

Have you ever thought, "I am serving you so why are things so hard?"  Read what C. S. Lewis wrote:  God who has made us, knows what we are and that our happiness lies in Him.  Yet we will not seek it in Him as long as He leaves us any other resort where it can even plausibly be looked for.  While what we call "our own life" remains agreeable we will not surrender it to Him.  What then can God do in our interest but make "our own life" less agreeable to us, and take away the plausible source of false happiness?"  (Problem with Pain, pg. 84)

 

That is why the psalmist says, "it is good for me that I was afflicted,"  So that we are forced to turn to God for our happiness or rather our joy.  Do not think for a moment that your obedience will assure things to go smoothly.  God doesn't work that way.  He knows that in our struggles we will turn to Him for our joy.

Christ follower, don't expect obedience to equal joy or happiness.  Rather surrender your life to Him and find true joy.

Sweet Satisfaction!

 

So I will bless You as long as I live;

I will lift up my hands in Your name.

5 

My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness,

And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. 

                                            Psalm 63.4-5 NASB

    Christ follower let me ask a simple question.  Are you satisfied with Jesus?  Is walking with Jesus a joy or a task to be completed?  Do you enjoy your time with Him or do you want to get it done so that a spiritual box can be checked off for the day?  It is a needed gut check for us.  

    If we are to be genuine in our blessing Him and lift our hands in His name to praise Him, we must ask ourselves this question.  Is my goal to spend time with the master and enjoy being with Him?  

    In my life I have recently gone through some health situations that has given me more time for not a lot of anything.  But as I evaluated myself this morning with my gut check.  I know that many times I am merely checking off my time with Him.  But in the rare occasion that I don't worry about time or what I could be doing and I just am with Him.  It is the sweetest time I can imagine.  Disciple make a choice to enjoy the Master today!